'Race to Altar' Tests Couples' Resolve

BURBANK, Calif - Lisa Dergan will admit there's no way she could handle the stunts that players on NBC's new reality show, "Race to the Altar," have to do.

The former Playboy Playmate hosts the show, in which eight engaged couples compete for a lavish, fully paid wedding. Contestants must do "Fear Factor" style feats of daring — such as dangling from a crane in a segment entitled "to have and to hold." They must also answer questions that show how well they know their spouses-to-be.

"I wouldn't have done half of these physical challenges I put them through," Dergan told reporters. "I don't know how I would handle it."

The barrage of questions that competing couples must field is "very intense," Dergan said.

The show raised Dergan's awareness of how tough-minded couples must be to face the prospect of marriage.

"I all the more realize that you have to start a marriage with foundations — trust, knowing your partner, knowing how they'll react in every situation," Dergan said.

Dergan said hosting the tumultuous show is a perfect fit for her.

"To me hosting is a home run. Because it's live, it's completely off the cuff, it's my personality. I'm really good at being there right in the moment. I prefer hosting over anything because it brings my personality into the show."